


Wings of a Feather

by Settiai



Series: The Land of Ravens [4]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Friendship, Gen, Past Relationship(s), Reminiscing, Sex Talk, Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, The Land of Ravens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 07:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16718995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: Ever since Lyrengorn, when so much of her past had been laid bare, it felt like various members of the group were coming out of the woodwork to talk with her. Ceres... wasn't certain how to feel about that.Arian, at least, had talked to herbeforeher past came back to bite her. So it wasn't that unusual for him to pull her aside for a chat. Even if the subject matter was a bit different than their previous talks.





	Wings of a Feather

Ceres hummed under her breath as she cleaned her rapier, making certain there wasn't any hint of moisture on it. It was imbued with enough magic that the odds of it becoming damaged from less-than-perfect care were slim, but she wasn't going to leave it to chance. She'd learned a long time ago that even though magic was resilient, nothing was indestructible.

A good ten feet or so away from her, a twig snapped.

She glanced up, her eyes darting in the direction of the sound she'd heard. Arian was slowly walking in her direction, a bit of hesitance to his movements like he was trying to make up his mind whether or not to actually be heading that way.

Ceres didn't smile. She knew Arian well enough by now to know _that_ wouldn't be the most effective reaction on her part. Instead, she pointedly met his gaze, letting him know without a doubt that she'd seen him. Then she raised her eyebrows a bit questioningly, silently asking him what he wanted.

Arian gave her a small smile, a hint of awkwardness to it, and picked up his pace. "Hey," he said once he was close enough to speak quietly and still be heard. "You mind if I join you for a bit?"

She gave him a half-hearted shrug. "If you'd like," she said, putting her rapier down in her lap. It wasn't as if she really needed to be cleaning it, considering she hadn't used it in a fight for what felt like ages at this point. It was mostly just an excuse, a way to keep her hands busy and her attention focused on the present. "I'm mostly finished anyway."

He hesitated, just for a second. Then he straightened, as if he'd made up his mind on something.

"Oh, don't stop on account of me," he said, dropping down on the ground beside her. "I'm sure my conversation wouldn't be that stimulating."

It took some effort, but Ceres kept her face expressionless at that self-aimed jibe.

Arian reached his hand out towards the campfire, arcane energy crackling over his fingertips. The flames rose higher, sending off more heat and helping fight back against the chill of the night air.

She couldn't help but notice that he didn't turn back towards her until _after_ the residual energy had faded from his hand. Whether it was intentional on his part or something more subconscious, she wasn't certain. With Arian, either was possible.

"How are you doing, Ceres?" he asked. "I know we don't really talk too much, and only ever when the stakes seem to be higher, but I just wanted to check in with you after Lyrengorn." He gave her a weak smile. "I would have sooner, but I had some of my own home issues to cut through as well—"

Arian trailed off. Then he let out a small laugh that didn't sound particularly amused. Considering everything that had happened when they'd passed through his home town, Ceres couldn't particularly blame him.

The corner of Ceres's mouth turned up. It wasn't quite a smile, but it wasn't her usual smirk either. "Yes," she said dryly, "the past and present have been meeting quite spectacularly for several us the last few weeks."

He nodded at that, his gaze focused on her.

After a long pause, Ceres shifted a bit awkwardly. "I'm fine," she said, but the words felt somewhat heavy on her tongue. "Lyrengorn was... well, I can't say that it was exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't exactly a complete surprise either."

Arian's own eyebrows rose a bit at that. "Well, what were you expecting then? I've got this if it helps," he added, his hand slipping into one of his inside pockets and emerging a second or two later with a flask. He passed it over to her, a small smile that actually looked real creasing his cheek. "It always seems like everyone talks over a drink."

Cere's mouth twitched, a smile tugging at the corners of it despite her best attempt to stop it. She reached out and took the flask, opening it and taking a quick swallow in one swift motion.

She didn't say anything for a long moment afterward, instead just sitting there and letting the whatever-swill-she-had-just-swallowed warm her from the inside. Then she sighed. "Maya was a bit unexpected," she admitted. "I honestly thought Lyrengorn was the last place I'd ever see her again."

And if that wasn't the understatement of the century, nothing was. Ceres barely resisted the urge to let out a snort of amusement. Instead, she just paused for a long moment.

"As for Anabel Jassan…" She trailed off, taking another drink before handing the flask back to Arian. "I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't a surprise. Not really."

Arian didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he took a drink from the flask himself and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I don't know too much about your mistakes, but I doubt that was fun to relive. It was just a shame we couldn't persuade her into not looking for you again. Though I doubt you'd be going back there anytime soon."

For just a second, Ceres was tempted to tell him about what she'd seen during her watch that night after they'd fled Lyrengorn. Maya slipping through the trees, blood clearly visible on her hands as she disappeared in and out of the shadows. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Maya had done what Ceres herself hadn't been able to do, that she'd gone back and put that poor, broken girl out of her misery.

But she didn't think Arian needed to hear about that. None of them did. They were all so young. Well, all of them other than Zallar, at least. It would be better if they had at least a few more years of innocence before they realized just how dark the harsh reality of living could be.

Arian continued talking, taking her silence as something different than she probably meant for it to be. "What is—" He cut off awkwardly. "Well, what _was_ Maya to you? She's not really anyone you've ever spoken about."

He offered her his flask again, and Ceres gratefully accepted it. She took a long swallow before handing it back.

"Maya's been a lot of things over the years," Ceres said, a bit of fond amusement in her voice that she couldn't hide even if she had wanted to. "I was a couple of years older than you when I first met her. I made the mistake of trying to pick her pocket." She laughed softly, more like a huff of air than anything else. "She thought that I had potential."

Maya had also thought that Ceres was a bit insane, truth be told. But, then again, she probably had been. She hadn't had any idea what she was doing, other than trying to survive.

"Wow! That must have been such a long time ago then because I'm still a baby right?" Arian teased, clearly trying to keep the light tone. "Also stealing? You? Never! I'm shocked."

He'd clearly been trying to keep a straight face, but it failed about two words in. Not that Ceres could blame him. That would have been a difficult lie even for her.

Ceres gave him a wry grin, but it faded after a second. "It was twenty years ago, back in the spring," she said. "We worked together for about eight years." She paused for a moment before adding a bit teasingly: "We were sleeping together for about seven of those years."

Arian choked on his drink, taking a moment to recover before spluttering out: "Oh. Right. I guess that's something I'm not totally surprised about."

She smirked just a little. She couldn't help it.

He handed the half-empty flash over to her before adding quietly: "So was it good to see her? Or more bittersweet? I mean obviously the situation wasn't ideal, but just the fact of seeing her, I mean…"

Ceres took the flask, but she didn't drink from it. She just held it, feeling herself go a bit distant as the past called to her. "It brought back a lot of memories."

"I had a feeling it might," he said, his voice still low. He glanced at the fire. "Good ones, I hope."

Ceres didn't say anything for a moment. Then she chuckled. "Some," she agreed. "Some not so much. A lot of things happened during those eight years."

"Eight years is a long time for things to happen in," Arian agreed. He hesitated for a moment. "Any you want to talk about?"

She raised her eyebrows at him thoughtfully. She supposed it wouldn't hurt. She'd already told Gwae more about her past than she'd ever planned, so what was another member of the group hearing something she hadn't expected to tell?"

"One story," she said. "I'll leave it up to you whether you want to hear one of the good ones or one of the bad ones."

"Ugh." Despite the disgruntled sound he'd just let out, Arian's smile widened. "Why do you make things difficult like that? I'm optimistic, though. I'll take the good story, please."

Ceres thought for a moment, trying to think of the best story to tell. Then Callie's face popped into her head, a familiar cheeky grin on it. Ceres felt her mouth twist into a smirk. "I know just the one."

Arian eyed her a bit warily. "Oh?" he asked. "Well, then, let's hope it's a very good one."

Ceres grinned. "Maya and had been working together, oh, three or four years at the time," she said. "Some guy hired us to break into the home of a rich couple and steal some priceless heirloom of theirs. I don't even remember what it was now. A rug, I think? Some type of magic carpet? Whatever it was, he was willing to pay us an obscene amount of gold for it."

She shook her head.

"Anyway, everything went as planned at first. We broke in without any trouble, we found the secret vault that we'd been told about… and then the _other_ two thieves that had been hired to steal something else from said vault walked in."

Arian's face had contorted slightly, and he squinted his eyes. "But." He shook his head. "Why didn't he just hire you to get _everything_ he wanted? I'm… well, puzzled to say the least. Please continue."

Ceres's eyes twinkled slightly. She couldn't help it, knowing what was coming next. "Their names were Cen and Callie," she said. "The other thieves, I mean. A tiefling and a halfling. Maya and I actually knew of them, even though we hadn't properly met before then. Names get passed around in certain circles and all that."

"The four of us, we immediately wondered the same thing you just asked. Especially when Callie mentioned that all of the magical wards had already been disabled." Ceres paused for a moment before adding as clarification: "Callie's decent at magic. She picked up on things like that better than the rest of us."

Arian nodded slowly.

"Anyway," Ceres said, continuing, "we decided that we weren't going to steal a damn thing until we figured out what was going on, because none of us were foolish enough to trust something that was being handed to us on a silver platter. So we, uh, went exploring."

"Oh right. Obviously," Arian said. "I'm already suspicious…"

Ceres nodded. "It turns out that the man who'd hired us worked for the couple who owned the home we were in. He'd hired several different thieves to steal a variety of items from the manor." She paused for a second before adding: "At his employers' request."

Arian blinked at her.

Ceres smirked. "Insurance fraud is such a lucrative business, apparently."

"Oh!" Arian said. "Well then... that certainly is _something_." He eyed her. "So how did all that end?"

If anything, Ceres felt her smirk grow a bit sharper. "Once the truth came out, we were able to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement for all of us," she said. "The four of us got a nice bit of a gold for both our assistance and our silence, the couple got an even nicer pile of gold, and we all had a very pleasant orgy before we went on our way."

She was careful to say the last bit as matter-of-factly as possible, as if it was more of an afterthought than anything else. She was careful to hide her amusement as she waited to see Arian's reaction.

It didn't take long. He coughed, his face turning an rather adorable shade of red as he flushed.

"You really are very open with that stuff aren't you?" Arian asked awkwardly.

Ceres shrugged, letting a bit of her amusement show. "Sex is sex," she said. "It's not like it meant anything to any of us involved other than a fun time."

If anything, Arian's face grew even redder. "I didn't mean anything by it," he said. "It's just an observation. I do have to admit that's a good story."

Ceres smiled despite her best intentions. "I wonder what Cen and Callie are up to," she said thoughtfully. "It's been at least four years since the last time I saw them."

"Have you heard about them at all?"

"Not since the last time I saw them, a couple of years ago," she said, shrugging a bit. "We didn't really keep in touch, per se. Our paths would just cross from time to time." She shook her head, an amused look appearing on her face. "Sometimes it felt like fate."

Arian tilted his head a little. "There's something about that name," he said. "It's _familiar_ , but I can't place it. Well that's going to bug me forever now."

Ceres raised her eyebrows. "Which one?" she asked. "Cen or Callie?"

"Callie," he said slowly. "The halfling." He paused for a moment, clearly in thought. Then he shook his head. "No, I just can't place it."

"Maybe you ran into her somewhere?" Ceres suggested. "She and Cen are usually together, but I know they sometimes go off on their own. It couldn't have been anything too important if you don't remember any details."

"Hmm." Arian looked thoughtful for another second or two. Then he shrugged. "I guess so. Sorry I'm just rambling now."

Ceres gave him a shrug. "It's fine." She paused for a moment. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

Arian paused for a second or two himself. "No," he said slowly. "I didn't have anything specific to talk about. I really just wanted to check in on you. You know, like friends do."

Ceres gave him a slight smile. "I appreciate the gesture."

It surprised her a bit that she actually meant it. She couldn't remember the last time someone had checked in with her without having some type of ulterior motive.

"Well, thank you, Ceres." Arian smiled at her. "I just hope you're doing as good as you can be."

She nodded at him. "I'm getting there," she said truthfully. Her hand reached up to touch the chain around her neck. Her pendant was tucked safely under her armor, but it was surprisingly reassuring just to know that it was there. Just like it had been the past few weeks.

Arian nodded back. "Good," he said. "That's all I wanted to check on." He paused, just for a second. "You know, you are free to come to us with any problems you have, right?"

Ceres looked away, not quite meeting his gaze. "I know," she said quietly. Because she did know it, at least on _some_ level. "I'll... keep that in mind."

"Please do." Arian shifted, moving a little closer. "Okay. Now normally this is just something to do. But it's you and you have at _least_ seven sharp instruments on you. In disregard of all of that, I'm going to give you a hug, if that's okay with you."

He opened his arms, but he didn't move any closer than he already had.

"It's more than seven," Ceres said dryly. Then, after a few moments of hesitation, she nodded. Slowly. "Make it a short one?"

"Sure." Without pause, he pulled her in and gave her a quick squeeze before pulling away. "There," he said. "Quick and painless. At least I don't think I was stabbed…"

Ceres snorted. "Not this time."

"Well. That's certainly comforting." He smiled at her. "Anyway. If you want to talk, you're always welcome, Ceres. Thank you for the time."

Arian nodded back, getting up to leave. "I guess I'll talk to you when we're next fighting, but hopefully sooner. Goodnight, Ceres."

The corners of Ceres's mouth tugged upwards again, just a little. "Goodnight, Arian."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me over on Tumblr. (http://settiai.tumblr.com/)


End file.
